Child of the Raven
by CyberPagan
Summary: Prue becomes pregnant with a dark lighter's child


"Child of the Raven"  
  
Prue sat in her bedroom by the window, staring at the stars. She let out a deep sigh. It had only been about three months since her breakup with Jack, but it seemed like 50 years. She missed him. No, not him. She missed being with someone. Being held in someone's arms. Kissing someone's mouth. Making out in movie theaters. Talking about life to one of Piper's exquisite candlelight dinners.  
Phoebe and Piper were both going out with dates. Piper had Leo and Phoebe had Gage, a guy she'd met in her geometry class.  
"They're probably out laughing the night away," said Prue to herself. She saw a star shine at her. She began to wonder why Grams had always told her to wish on a star.  
Disney did it for money and mortal parents did it to help their kids fight the monsters under their beds, but Grams wouldn't lie. Perhaps, she thought, the wishing thing is rooted in the Craft. She ran up to the attic.  
She read in the Book of Shadows that stars were actually Faeries. They never wanted humans to know about them, so they created the illusion that stars were no more than gases in space. And if a Witch picked a Magick Star and wished on it, the wish would most certainly come true. She picked her star and chanted:  


  
_"Star above, hear my call!  
Upon me, make your blessings fall!  
Bring me a lover from your Faerie power!  
Obey my word on this hour!"  
  
_

The star she'd chosen twinkled and a feeling of satisfaction suddenly flowed all throughout Prue's body. She knew her wish would come true.  
She read more from the Book and it said that she now had to sleep and wait for a sign in a dream. She was tired anyway.  
That night, she dreamt of a beautiful man dress in an orange robe with wings. She was in a woods with the Full Moon shining upon her.  
"Hello, Prue," he said. "My name is Morpheus. I was sent by the Gods to be your lover. I am the God of dreams. Come. Let me reveal to you my world of enchantment."  
Prue suddenly felt a wave of comfort and bliss rush over her. She was greeted by two Faeries. One carried a basket of flower petals and the other held a bottle of Faerie dust. The one with Faerie dust sprinkled the stuff over Prue's eyes and the one with petals slipped the petals onto Prue's tongue.  
The petals tasted like sweet honey and the dust felt like pure water.  
"You now have the power to fly like the Gods," said one Faerie.  
"But mind you. The spell loses its power once your physical body awakens," said the other. "So don't try to fly in the physical plane."  
Morpheus took Prue's hand and she could feel herself flying. He lead her to the Full Moon and they rested on it.  
He held her to his chest and kissed her mouth. She found herself taking off his robe and discovered immediately that she was naked. They made love all through the night.  
"You must go now," said Morpheus.  
"I don't care where I go," said Prue. "As long as you're here with me."  
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Morpheus. "But I am a God on the astral plane. I'm not permitted to leave this plane. The Gods here forbid it. And when They found out, I would die."  
"Can't you sneak out with Them knowing it?"  
"I wish I could be by your side forever. But you have a life as a Witch and I have a life as a God here. Besides, the Gods are always watching us. I would turn to stone as soon as I would orbit onto your world. But I promise I will be right here in your dreams tomorrow night."  
He kissed her one last time and then vanished....  
She woke up with a smile on her face. Then, she frowned with disappointment. The dream was over and Morpheus was gone.  
But he said he'd be there tomorrow. He gave her his word. And she smiled again. She went downstairs humming to herself.  
She poured herself a bowl of Lucky Charms, the cereal she once swore she'd never eat again because she'd grown out of them and they were unhealthy.  
"Uh, Prue," said Phoebe. "Do you realize you just poured seltzer water onto the cereal you think should be kicked off the face of the planet?"  
"I did?" said Prue. "Oh! So I did. Well, they're not that bad. And water's really good for you."  
"Prue, I'm your sister. When you eat Lucky Charms, there's bound to be something wrong. Now talk to me."  
"Nothing. I just changed my mind. That's all. Do we have any sausage?"  
"Prue, you're a Vegetarian. So are me and Piper. Of course there's no sausage."  
"I changed my mind about that, too."  
"Wait a sec. Now, there's always something when I say something grammatically incorrect and you don't point out my mistake. Shouldn't it be 'Piper and I.'"  
"Who cares about grammar anyway?"  
"Prue, tell me! What the hell is going on?"  
"Okay, I'll tell you. Last night, I read in the BoS that wishing on stars actually works and that it's been used by Witches for centuries. So I wished for a lover. And he came to me in my dreams. His name is Morpheus. He's the God of dreams. Last night, he took me to the astral plane, and we had a wonderful time."  
"Prue, how do you know he's not a demon?"  
"Because demons are all ugly and mean. He was handsome and charming. Besides, wouldn't I be dead by now if he was?"  
"Maybe you should look up Morpheus in the BoS."  
"Who's Morpheus?" asked Piper, as she came down.  
"The love of my life," said Prue, dreamily.  
"The end of your life," said Phoebe.  
"I'm very confused," said Piper.  
Prue told her all about Morpheus.  
"Phoebe," said Piper, "I do see your point, but I have to take Prue's side. The physical plane is full of both good, honest people and warlocks and sometimes you just have to trust someone. I don't see how the astral plane could be any different. I think Morpheus should be given the benefit of a doubt. Now, let's just have a nice, pleasant breakfast."  
"Good idea, Piper," said Prue.  
"Okay," said Phoebe. "But I'm still gonna check the Book of Shadows just in case."  
"Better safe than sorry," said Piper.  
Piper saw Leo orbing into the room.  
"Hey, sexy," said Piper. "Come on over here."  
Leo sat down. They had a nice meal and Morpheus wasn't mentioned, but Phoebe hadn't forgotten about him.  
When she finished eating, she put her reading glasses on and went up to the Book of Shadows. She looked up "Morpheus."  
She didn't find Morpheus, but she found something on raven demons. She put her finger on the page and had a premonition of Prue in labor. After the baby came out of the womb, it pointed its finger at the midwife and the midwife's teeth grew into fangs and her skin turned green and she plunged out the window.  
Phoebe came out of her trance and read about ravens:  
_"Ravens were once white lighters, but when they betrayed the Gods, They took the ravens' Powers and their dove wings became raven wings.  
"They are trapped on the astral plane, so they can only contact humans through their dreams. They are dark lighters, so their ambition is to fill the world with other dark lighters. They look for women who are desperate for true love and impregnate them in their dreams.  
"The child is pure dark lighter and has the Power to change any human instantly into a demon as soon as it is born. Unlike human babies, it takes only two days (sometimes less) inside of the womb for the child to be born and, if the mother uses a pregnancy test, it will always come out negative.  
"The child is a demon the second it is born, so the only way to stop the creature is to abort the pregnancy. The following is a list of symptoms of carrying a dark lighter:  
"1) Strange behavior.  
"2) Change in diet.  
"3) Constant tripping.  
"Once the baby is born, it turns the mother into not a technical demon, but a schizophrenic. The baby makes the mother completely dedicated to protecting the child."  
_"Well," said Phoebe, "Prue has been eating Lucky Charms and hasn't been correcting grammar. So, maybe she really is pregnant."  
She heard a sound of tumbling down and ran to see what it was. It was Prue.  
"Prue!" called Phoebe. "Are you okay?" She rushed down the stairs.  
"Yeah," said Prue. "I just slipped."  
"Oh my God, Prue!"  
"No, I'm fine."  
"No, you're not! Prue, you're pregnant."  
"Phoebe, that's ridiculous. How could I be pregnant?"  
"Morpheus."  
"He couldn't have gotten me pregnant! He's an astral being."  
Phoebe told Prue all about the ravens.  
"Did it say that Morpheus was one of them?" asked Prue.  
"No, it didn't. But think, Prue. You craved sausage and Lucky Charms. You just tripped. You stopped caring about grammar."  
"Well, if it'll make you happy," said Prue, "I'll get a pregnancy test."  
"They don't work when a woman carries a dark lighter. They always come out negative. Prue, you are definitely pregnant. You're gonna have to get an abortion."  
"Phoebe, you know how I feel about abortions."  
"But I also know how you feel about demons."  
"We don't even know if I _am_ pregnant in the first place."  
"Yes, we do. Prue, I had a vision of you in labor. And the baby turned the midwife into a demon. You're pregnant, all right."  
"Is this true?" said Leo, as he came into the room with Piper. "A raven got Prue pregnant?"  
Prue slowly nodded.  
"Then you'll need an abortion as soon as possible!" said Leo.  
"Leo, white lighters can sense dark lighters, right?" said Prue.  
"Yes," said Leo. "We can."  
"Then, could you just make sure," said Prue.  
Leo put his hand on Prue's stomach and felt a wave of fire touching his fingertips.  
"You're pregnant all right."  
"Oh, God! Oh, God!" said Prue. "I don't believe in abortion."  
"Well, Prue," said Leo, "that's your choice and all, but this is an evil creature that must die. You really have to."  
"All right," she said. She got out the phone book and called the nearest abortion clinic to schedule an appointment.  
She came back into the room. "I have an appointment Sunday afternoon."  
"Prue, the baby will only need two days or less inside of you. You'll be in labor before Sunday," said Phoebe.  
"Two days?" said Prue. "Then I'll try to reschedule."  
She tripped on her way to the phone. Piper helped her up and Prue pressed redial.  
"San Francisco Abortion Clinic. How may I help you?"  
"Yes, I'm Prue Halliwell. A minute ago I scheduled an appointment for Sunday. I'd like to know if I can reschedule for sometime today?"  
"Sorry. Today's all booked."  
"Okay. What about tomorrow?"  
"That's not possible either. Sunday's the soonest time."  
"But I need one sooner than that."  
"Miss Halliwell, in case you didn't know, the average pregnancy lasts nine months. A fetus can be aborted in any phase of pregnancy."  
"Yes, I realize that, but this is abnormal."  
"It can't be so abnormal that you can't wait five days."  
"But it...oh!"  
"Miss Halliwell, is something wrong?"  
"Yes! Yes!"  
Prue dropped the phone and lay down on the floor.  
"Prue! Prue, what's wrong?" asked Phoebe.  
Leo, Phoebe, and Piper all ran to Prue's aid.  
"I think I'm in labor!" said Prue.  
"Oh God!" said Phoebe.  
"Prue, calm down a little. We'll get you to the hospital," said Piper.  
Piper and Phoebe carried Prue to the car while Leo orbed out to watch over them. They hopped into the car and Piper drove to the hospital with the others sitting in the back, Prue screaming and panting.  
"You're gonna be okay, Prue," said Phoebe.  
"We'll be there in a few minutes," said Piper.  
Prue just moaned.  
Phoebe explained that since Piper wasn't seen in her vision, so Piper had to be there to freeze the baby after it was born.  
They got to the hospital and got Prue into her own delivery bed. But the nurses wouldn't let Piper and Phoebe see their sister.  
"Our sister is giving birth, for crying out loud!" said Piper. "Aren't we entitled to see her?"  
"Hospital rules," said one of the nurses. "If this was a normal childbirth, you'd be allowed in. But this one is _very_ peculiar. Let the doctors handle it."  
"Please!" said Piper. "We _have _to see her. Or, at least I do."  
"Well, since you're family," said another nurse, "I think you should be allowed in. But you must promise to keep it 100% in the doctors' hands and not do anything."  
"We promise," said Phoebe.  
"Very well," said a nurse.  
They went in and saw a tiny head slowly emerging from Prue's womb. Doctors instructed her to push and breathe deeply.  
When the baby came out completely, she pointed her little finger at a midwife, but Piper froze it.  
"How come Prue's frozen?" said Phoebe. "I thought our Powers didn't work on Witches."  
"They don't!" said Piper.  
"Oh my gosh!" said Phoebe. "I just remembered! The Book said that raven babies brainwash their mothers into protecting them the second they come out."  
"Okay," said Piper. "The doctors are frozen. So, obviously, none of them know what to do. Let's grab the baby and go home!"  
Phoebe picked up the baby and they drove home.  
Piper ran upstairs to the Book while Phoebe baby-sat. She kept having to dodge the rays of light that shot of the baby's finger.  
Leo orbed into the room.  
"Who's the baby?"  
"It's Prue's raven child," said Phoebe.  
"Bad news, guys," said Piper, coming down the steps. "There's nothing in the book on how to kill a raven baby. All I found was a temporary binding spell and another spell to unbrainwash Prue."  
"Too late!" said astral Prue. "Give me my baby!"  
Prue levitated her baby, but Piper froze them.  
Piper and Phoebe said a spell:  
  


_"Mother of the dark light,  
We end this hex with all our might.  
Your thoughts are unchained, your mind is free.  
Your eyes are open and you can see."  
  
_

Prue and the demon baby unfroze. Sparks flew into Prue's eyes and ended the spell. The baby suddenly grew about five feet into a demon and sent more rays of light throughout the room. Piper, Prue, and Phoebe said another spell:  


  
_"We take your hand and all your Power.  
Lose your darkness upon this hour.  
Elementals, take this creature's dark light.  
We have already won this fight."  
  
_

The demon was surrounded with little sparks and found herself unable to invoke her Power.  
Leo suddenly appeared in the room and orbed the demon to his white lighter realm where the Elders would destroy him.  
"There's one more problem," said Phoebe. "Morpheus."  
"What can we do about him?" asked Piper.  
"Leave that to me," said astral Prue. She projected back.  
Prue woke up surrounded by doctors telling her they were sorry; something happened to the baby. But they were convinced it was a stillbirth because no child that premature could possible be born alive.  
Prue was quite tired from being in labor and asked if she could take a little nap on the hospital bed. The doctors knew she must have been in a great amount of both physical and emotional pain, so they let her.  
Prue dreamed of Morpheus again. But this time, he was no longer the handsome Dream God she'd seen before. He was a hideous dark lighter. The cute little Faeries who once greeted her with petals and powder had become tiny demons carrying swords. The enchanted forest was now a wasteland of fire and chaos.  
"You killed my child!" hissed Morpheus. "You must die!"  
"You first," said Prue. She sent Morpheus flying into a pit of flame. The Faeires threw their weapons at her, but she stopped them in midair and vibrated them back at the Faeries. They fell to the ground and decayed into the fire.  
Prue saw that all was left of Morpheus was ashes and black feathers.  



End file.
